"We take so many things for granted": American Legion players reflect on Veterans Night tradition

ADRIAN –– On a crisp late June evening, players from Blissfield Post 325 and Adrian Post 275 filed out and walked out to the veterans standing on the left and right field lines of Nicolay Field.

Every player handed out small American flags and shook hands with veterans. A few hugged. Some wagered small smiles at faces more familiar than others.

With players and veterans all standing together on the diamond’s lines, Post 275 commander Angie Verner narrated the ceremonial 13 folds of the American flag as three veterans demonstrated in front of the mound. A barbershop quartet followed up with renditions of God Bless America and the Star Spangled Banner. Then, a bugler played taps.

Though the music cut through the air, the somber silence by all was deafening.

“I’ve never seen something like that happen before a baseball game,” said Post 325 player Cole Watkins.

For the 18th year, Veteran’s Night came and went on Wednesday night at Nicolay Field with a few changes, notably the addition of the ceremony of retreat and taps.

But on a night where the game has always has been considered secondary, the presence of veterans and the players they’re connected with, through playing in American Legion baseball or family, took center stage.

Watkins was one of the players sharing the moment with his grandfather, Ron Watkins. Like many players, the pregame ceremony offered Cole a window into his grandfather’s service.

“You wouldn’t even know he served in the military,” Cole said. “Being able to go out there and stand next to him during the national anthem, all that was pretty special.”

Post 325’s Zach Recker was another player joined on the field by his grandfather, Jim Recker, a veteran who served 26 years in the Army. His feelings remained similar to Watkins when talking about the impact of the moment.

“My grandpa, he doesn’t really share his military life, so I feel like it brought out a lot of pride in him,” he said. “Some of those guys, they don’t want to talk about it as much but when they’re out there, they feel welcome.”

To Post 275 general manager Dave Stanifer, moments like that are what the night is all about.

“Before the ceremony starts, I go to each of the benches and I look at the players and say, ‘I want you to shake each and every one of these guys’ hands and tell them thank you for your service,’” he said.

“There have been veterans that come up to me and say, ‘(that’s) the first time anybody has said thank you for your service to my country.’”

Stanifer has been involved with American Legion baseball since both his sons, Mark and Chris, played in the early 1990s. He stayed involved long after his sons moved on, growing from co-chair of the American Legion state finals committee into his current role as the business and general manager of Post 275.

In 2004, he had a “hare-brained” idea to add to the regular Legion schedule: a game designed to honor certain segments of veterans in a pregame ceremony, starting with those that served in World War II.

After a few successful renditions, the event began to grow into what it is today after several early suggestions.

“A couple of the Legion guys came up to me and said, ‘Dave, why don’t we just open this up?’” Stanifer said.

So they did, inviting veterans of all designations while tweaking certain aspects of the presentation. Today, Veterans Night is a fixture on the American Legion baseball calendar in Lenawee County with new participating veterans coming out each year.

“I think I saw about 10 to 15 hands raised when we were lining them up,” he said when asked if there were any first-timers before Wednesday night’s ceremony. “I was really amazed at the number.”

Stanifer said the inclusion of taps and the folding of the flag, typically reserved for military funerals, in the presentation were positively received by veterans and audience members alike.

“I have to believe there were many people sitting up in the stands that had heard it for the first time or had not heard it for a few years,” he said. “I just think those two add another dimension (to the ceremony).”

As those segments of the pregame ceremony largely pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, several players admitted to different outlooks following the presentation. Post 275’s Nolan Matthews, the nephew of a Vietnam veteran, said noticing how the ceremony made his uncle feel played a role in that shift.

“Just to see him out there standing and holding the proper salute, it meant something to him,” he said. “I personally thought it kind of changed my perspective. We take so many things for granted. These guys out there put their lives on the line for us.”

Post 275’s Tristan Hayes, the son and grandson of veterans David Hayes and Pete Hayes, is no stranger to his father and grandfather’s service. But the weight of the moment provided a chance to reflect on their individual sacrifices.

“I just feel for them personally,” he said. “I thank them for everything they did for us. I just feel like so many things could happen and they just turned out in a good way.”

In Stanifer’s eyes, those results are all he could ever ask for.

“There were a few things different and now there may be a few things different next year,” he said. “But our highlight is basically whatever we can do to promote veterans and patriotism to these young men.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: American legion players reflect on 18th annual veterans night